The European Commission presented, on Wednesday 1 March, proposals to update driving licence requirements and improve road safety enforcement. These proposals are in line with the European Commission’s targets of achieving ‘zero deaths’ on EU roads by 2050 (see EUROPE 13126/25).
In detail, the proposal on driving licences, which is based on existing national practices, aims to ensure that driving licences are recognised between Member States through the introduction of a digital driving licence. The process of exchanging or renewing a driving licence should also be digitalised and made easier.
In addition, the proposal intends to introduce a probationary period of at least 2 years for novice drivers after passing the test and a zero tolerance for drink driving.
Furthermore, the text also includes a provision allowing young people to take their test and start accompanied driving of cars and lorries from the age of 17, before being able to drive alone starting on their 18th birthday.
A section of the text is also dedicated to the transition towards a greener transport sector. Novice drivers should therefore be trained on how their driving affects their emissions. Also in this area, the permissible mass of a category ‘B’ vehicle should be adjusted for alternative fuel vehicles (see EUROPE 13121/1), as zero-emission vehicles with batteries could be heavier.
Scope of cross-border offences covered extended
In addition, the European Commission presented two further proposals on effective cross-border enforcement of safety-related traffic rules and ending impunity for serious offences.
The first proposal - aligned with EU rules on personal data protection - thus aims to allow law enforcement authorities to have access to national driving licence registers, in particular to ensure that cross-border offences do not remain anonymous, as was the case for 40% of such offences in 2019.
The Commission proposes to extend the scope of the road traffic offences covered by the text to failure to keep sufficient distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking and parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving against the traffic flow, failure to respect the rules on the use of emergency lanes and using an overloaded vehicle.
In addition, an IT portal should make it easier for citizens to access information on the road safety rules in force in each Member State and, eventually, to pay any fines directly.
Finally, another text was unveiled, providing for the possibility of EU-wide driving disqualifications in the event of a serious accident or offence. Under the current rules, the disqualification of a driving licence can only be enforced in the Member State that issued the licence in question.
See the driving licence proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/5kp
See the proposal on safety-related traffic rules: https://aeur.eu/f/5kn
See the proposal for EU-wide driving disqualifications: https://aeur.eu/f/5ko (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)